Tuesday, October 6, 2015

The Selfie Generation

I recognize that I'm about to sound the like the oldest man on the planet. And I also recognize that everything I'm about to say has probably already been said by someone who has conducted scientific studies and has actually researched these issues.

It will probably be easiest to absorb this post's information if you imagine me sitting on my front porch holding a rifle on my lap and intermittently yelling at children to get off my lawn.

I've had a lot of conversations over the past couple of years, usually with my crankier friends, about the changes we've seen in the last decade that seem either to be caused by or demonstrated through social media. There appears to be a new level of narcissism and attention-seeking that is magnificently displayed on the Facebooks and the Instagrams and the Snapchats and an array of other social media outlets I know so little about that when they are referenced I usually think people are talking about food.

I've heard the generation one or two steps below my own sometimes referred to as the "selfie" generation. It's often thought of as a group that is obsessed with attracting social media followers and obtaining as many "likes" as possible on every post shared. They thumb through their own Instagram feed, implicitly double-tapping on every photo without really looking at it, aware that liking each post is expected by the followed and a requirement for guaranteed mutual liking.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've seen people get upset more than once that a certain person frequently fails to like their Instagram photos, "even though I always like theirs."

With some regularity, people will reach out to me through Instagram and offer to follow me if I follow them first. They call this "follow for follow." They are barking up the wrong tree because this gentleman's agreement is nonsensical to me. My life is improved in no way by a stranger following me just because I follow them. The incentive is worthless. But it appears that many of the kids today have a different view on this entirely.

Maybe there's a thrill to seeing the "followers" number tick upward, even if this is only happening because the selfie generation broadly clicks and likes with the understanding that the "favor" will be returned. But I don't quite understand this.

Social media outlets are flooded with selfies--close-up pictures of the poster's face. I frequently see someone sharing photos of themselves with captions that explain how beautiful it is outside or how much the poster loves his/her friends or how excited the poster is that Halloween is coming. They find any way possible to include themselves in the picture that proclaims to be about something having nothing to do with them.

THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.

Many of these photos contain hashtags that imply or explicitly declare the poster's beauty. Hashtag male model. Hashtag muscle. Hashtag I woke up like this.

Groups of teenagers can be frequently seen sitting together, but disengaged with one another because they are taking selfies to "Snap" to the hundreds of mostly-strangers they have connected with through that very confusing outlet.

Occasionally I receive advertisements for services that promise to get me hundreds or thousands of new followers at once so that I'll look more popular. And these things exist because people want the attention, or the perceived attention. And they want it because they believe it will do something positive for them.

And ALL OF THIS is a problem.

I realize that these thoughts may sound closed-minded or offensive to some. And they may come across as judgmental and harsh, particularly because they are sort of simplifying an entire generation through an unflattering stereotype. And of course, there are exceptions to this.

But I think we are in trouble if we are unwilling or unable to recognize that the ever-increasing trends I've described above are putting our youth at risk of developing the habit of basing self-worth off of mass and sometimes anonymous validation. Or developing the habit of seeking attention in any way possible, even if the attention is nonsensical or meaningless or obtained through unproductive or harmful means. And we are encouraging a full generation of children to believe that if a certain number of people aren't looking at them at any given moment, maybe they aren't worth very much.

Some will argue that all of this just means that this generation is confident and that this is great. Because it is healthy for people to be confident and to feel comfortable broadcasting their attributes to the world. But watch a teenager obsessively check their phone to see how many people have liked their most recent photo, or watch that same teenager spend 45 minutes figuring out how to take a perfectly-angled picture of their new haircut and tell me that you think we are moving in the right direction here.

I worry.

I worry that the kids are learning to obsess about how they look and are not learning to care about others.

I worry that we are raising a generation of people who aren't taught how to engage in meaningful conversation.

I worry that we are forgetting what it feels like to wait for something and are missing opportunities to learn patience and diligence in the process.

I worry we are bringing up our children to value form over substance.

I worry that we are losing the ability to enjoy the present because we are distracted by our developing reputations.

My own generation struggles to put the phone down and enjoy the company and atmosphere around us. And I worry that the next generations, the ones who are being raised by these habits rather than developing them in adulthood, are going to be in a far worse state when they start hitting their 30s, like my generation is now.

I think we have a responsibility to the youthhhhhhsss to help them see social media and its conduits as an amazing means of staying connected and communicating love and not as a vital source to feed a praise dependence.

I think we owe it to the kids, who are being brought up in a much more distracting world than we ever had to know, to limit their hollow electronic relationships that leave little room for authentic fulfilling in-person interactions.

And I think we have to be prepared to have conversations about validation's virtues and vices and how we can keep obsession with it from thwarting development and peace.

I'm not a dad and I'm not a teacher. I'm an opinionated 31-year-old man with an old soul and a constant geriatric craving for oatmeal cookies. But I'm concerned with the way we are collectively heading on this. And I believe that we have an opportunity, each of us, in our own spheres of influence, whatever they may be, to exercise some influence and teach that a person's worth isn't measured in likes or follows.

~It Just Gets Stranger

62 comments:

  1. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I don't have a smart phone, I check social media and a few other websites on the laptop at home but I am also an 80 year old in a 27 year old's body and hate the distractions they are. But everywhere I go, people are bewildered and sometimes even angry that I don't have a smart phone. What is this world coming to? Follow for follow? That makes me weep for mankind.

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    1. I don't have a smartphone either and people act like I killed their cat when they find out.

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    2. I don't own a smart phone either and the funny thing is that I have no desire to own one and I function just fine without it.

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    3. So glad I'm not alone! I had one guy ask me how I lived without a smartphone. He then proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes staring at his phone...at the swimming pool.

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    4. I, too, am a smart phone hold-out. The ONLY reason why I would ever want one would be for the GPS. A thousand amens to everything you said!

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    5. I want to be best friends with all of you!

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    6. I ONLY upgraded myself and my husband to smartphones because it actually SAVED us money on our monthly cell bills. I DO use social media on my phone periodically, but I HATE that everyone around me spends so much time staring at these tiny screens. My HUSBAND is the worst offender! We can be in the room together, watching stupid crap on television, and before we had smartphones, we'd actually both watch tv, and interact with each other, etc. But now? Every night, while we're just watching stupid crap on television, my husband will play games or check his websites the whole evening. I hate it. We're too old to be caught up in this!

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  2. Sure, some teenagers might be this way, but I wouldn't agree that all or even most of them are. I have two teenagers, and neither of them have a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account. They use Snapchat, but sparingly. They aren't obsessed with selfies or likes or follows. They read books, do volunteer work, play sports, make stuff, have active social lives and overall are pretty great people. Most of their friends are the same. Sure, they love their smartphones, play online games and have active online lives, but they've used those platforms to make friends around the world and participate in communities dedicated to things they love. They have great (real life) friend relationships that include lots of deep teenage conversations - some of these take place over the internet, but they use Skype/text/chat like I used the phone as a teenager. Every generation thinks the generation after them is narcissistic and doomed for mediocrity. I can still hear the fretting over the slackers of Generation X. Maybe my experience isn't typical. But don't worry, Eli. The kids (or at least some of them) are going to be alright.

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    1. My two girls are the same way. They have Facebook and Instagram but rarely use them This was not the case a few years ago when they were teenagers, but now that they're adults, they have put those things aside for real life. I am sorry to say this is not the case with all their friends, but the ones described by Eli are the ones with self-confidence problems. I don't think Facebook/Instagram/Twitter is the cause, just another avenue for them to use. I don't like seeing all the selfies from one or two of the friends my daughters had in high school, but it does make you aware that these youthhhhhhs do have issues and we need to help them.

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    2. I think the scariest problem is that it IS the kids that already have confidence/worth issues that also have trouble with appropriate social media use (appropriate being that they don't use it to validate their lives) and studies have shown (and I have looked into the studies, having four girls to raise) that that kind of social media use increases depression. So it perpetuates itself in this way to the people who are already most vulnerable. But I am also a 32 year old mom who just got a smartphone for the first time a year ago an still don't really know how to use it.

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    3. I can identify with using social media to validate your life causing mild depression. I actively have to keep my Facebook and instagram friends to actual friends, where I would a)go to their wedding and b) would call to meet up with them if I was in their city. Because of not, I end up placing way too much value on what old high-school friends think.

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    4. Amy, you are bang on. As someone who has dealt with, and still deals with, depression, social media sites are very bad for people like me (which is why I now mostly stay away from them). Even posting on forums or blogs like this can cause me major anxiety especially if I'm posting something that is opposite what most people think...*cough*like bringing animals to stores*cough*. Even just reading other people's posts on facebook was stressing me out because it just bugs me to no end when people constantly do things like post EVERY MOMENT OF THEIR LIVES, or things like Eli mentioned (I have a lot of nieces and nephews that I had friended...and I wanted to smack every one of them when posting stuff like that), or whatever. Heck I'm getting stressing right now thinking about it. It's hard to train your mind to live in the present and not the past or future like my brain loves to do. But yes, as Sue Ellen said, some people grow out of it, others get addicted. And that addiction is just as bad for your mind and health as any other addiction out there.

      You know...not to get off topic, but Sue Ellen, every time I see your name I keep thinking of Sue Ellen Ewing from Dallas.

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    5. MR. PANTS WILL BE BURIED WITH ME REGARDLESS OF WHO DIES FIRST!

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    6. Lee, I grew up in that generation. I don't know how many times I have been asked if I shot J.R. But at least my name is memorable. By the way, I was highly disappointed that I was not related to you. I had doubts that I would be related to Eli, but when I found out you weren't related either, I had hopes that we could be not related together. :(

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    7. Ok...so apparently I didn't realize I had to click the More > Settings button and click Update Tree. For some reason I thought it did that automatically. I probably didn't read a step. So NOW it's showing I'm related to some of you crazy nuts. Sorry Sue Ellen, I'm not related to you. But I am Eli's 12th cousin once removed. So for any of you that don't see any relatives. Click More > Settings then click Update Tree and boom.

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    9. Oh, and Emilie Dugal and (I'm guessing) Michelle's husband Jeffrey Collett, are the closest people on here that I'm related to. 9th cousins once removed.

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    10. Lee I believe we are 14th cousins once removed. Nice to meet you cuz. I'm related to 224 Strangers, I knew I liked you people for a reason.

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    11. Well Lee, I updated my tree and I'm still not related to anyone. My family must be from another planet. Actually, if any of y'all met my family, you would quickly remove any links to them. That other planet thing is starting to sound more plausible

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  3. We've had to set some rules recently with our own kids because we were noticing a problem. The hard thing is all of their friends are interacting through the social media outlets and we want them to be able to participate in that community and not be the odd man out. But I'm worried they are all developing some really unhealthy habits.

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    1. Anon, I think that's the best thing you can do. As long as you keep on them and keep letting them know how bad for you it is, even if you're still allowing them to use it, I think you're heading in the right direction. My kids are still 7 and 9 so they're not really at the age of social media, and I really don't let my 9 year old have much leeway by himself on the computer yet. There's just too many things out there that aren't acceptable for them to watch or read at that age on the internet. But if and when I let them create a social media account, there will be rules to follow. I'm sure at some point they'll find their way to a computer either at school or friend's phone or whatever, but as long as we keep planting the seed of not using it for those crazy types of things, we're better off then the parent that just doesn't do or say anything. At least that's what I'm hoping.

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    2. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, by soon-to-be 10-yr. old granddaughter said, "A smartphone.."

      I laughed and said NO. Her mother (my daughter) said, "Well, she will get a phone sometime in the near future but it'll be an older flip style with limited texting and no Internet."

      Granddaughter was unhappy. She's going to be even more unhappy when she sees what I got her.

      A globe, complete with geographical features and country names. Time to expand her world....literally.

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    3. I WANT TO BE YOUR GRANDCHILD. I seriously want a globe. If someone gave me that for my birthday, I would feel giddy inside.

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    4. I want a grandmother who goes by Awesomesauciness!

      I'm not related to anyone on relativefinder ... can you adopt me?

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    5. Did I mention said globe lights FROM THE INSIDE! I want a reason to get me one now. Maybe I could adopt both of you and then get a discount on globes that LIGHT FROM THE FREAKIN' INSIDE!!

      That's how one gets the awesomesauciness tag, by getting cool stuff like globes that light up.

      You're welcome.

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    6. awesomesauciness I have no living grandparents, will you adopt me as one of your grandchildren? You get Stranger Grandparent of the Year award.

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    7. Globes are awesome. I hope your granddaughter knows how lucky she is to have you. I actually bought a map of the world and hung it on our wall...but it fell down. :( I need to get it put on some kind of backing so I can hang it up properly.

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    8. Did you see that, Eli? It doubles as a LAMP! Now you have to get one.

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  4. I am of the described generation and would like to give my "two-cents." First, I'd like to say that not all teenagers base their worth off of numbers online. Secondly I would like to say, DUDE I've liked all of your Instagram pictures and you STILL are not following me, I am highly offended by this.

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  5. Ugh. Cue the "Not *my* kid!" responses in 3...2...1

    Yes, your kid too. Trust us.

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    1. Actually, being of the "selfie" generation Eli describes, I can personally say that many, many parents are able to claim, "Not *my* kid." My parents, most of my friends' parents, and most of my classmates' and colleagues' parents can make that claim. Eli clearly stated there are exceptions, and I'm backing him on that.

      No, not necessarily your kids, too. Trust me.

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    2. Really Michael? My teenage son doesn't have a phone at all, doesn't have Facebook, doesn't know or care about snapchat or instagram. My teenage daughter has a "flip" phone, no internet on it and a first generation iPod. She has a Facebook with about 25 of her friends on it and nothing else, no snapchat, no instagram, no whatever else. We have offered to get the son a phone and/or upgrade the daughter's but they say no, not interested. They both run cross country, are very active in their youth bluegrass band and in school and church activities. You know, real life stuff as opposed to online. I agree with Eli that this is a huge problem among teenagers, but your blanket "yes your kids too" is just as bad as a blanket "not a problem" neither is correct.

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  6. I've heard this topic discussed over and over, but honestly, this post is the first time I've really been able to completely grasp all of what you are saying. Thank you for posting.

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  7. My ten year old wanted to know when he could have a smart phone, because most of his friends have one. He's TEN. I laughed my butt off and told him when he had a job and could pass a credit check. There have been many studies that have shown that all the Facebook validations and Instagram likes are actually, for real, BAD for kids. Just when they're at their most vulnerable and insecure we are letting them obsess about what other people think. That's not self-esteem, it's the exact opposite.

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  8. If only there was "like" button on this blog! I would totally double click!

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    1. But wouldn't clicking twice like it and then unlike it?

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    2. Lee, I think she meant "double tap" as you do to like photos on Instagram.

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  9. Standing up and applauding you right now!

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    1. Ugh, my computer hates me (or maybe Eli does) and it won't let me post a comment, but will let me post a reply, so I am highjacking Giraffe Girl's post. Sorry GG, and TAKE THAT, INTERWEBS!!!

      I know what you are saying about the selfies and gratuitous posts and all, but I wonder how much of that is simply a "teenager" thing. Way back in the dark ages, shortly after paper was invented, we had these things called yearbooks. And the goal was to get as many signatures as possible. Partly, it made you feel loved and wanted and popular. It helped to show others how many people LIKED you when they signed your book also. There were various other forms of this going around. So other than the planned obsolescence of these items (in 30 years you're the only one looking at your yearbook), what is the difference? It's all a way of feeling popular.

      You kids get off my lawn.

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  10. "Groups of teenagers can be frequently seen sitting together, but disengaged with one another because they are taking selfies"

    This makes me so sad! I would also like to add texting to this. If I am taking time out of my schedule to spend time with you it's because I would like to have an actual conversation with you not sit there looking at you having a conversation with another person or taking pictures of yourself. I will tell friends to put their phones away and be present or I will leave.

    I have trained my friends. They all know that if I am with them, that I won't have my phone out and that I expect the same courtesy in return. Good ol' R.E.S.P.E.C.T! ...Makes me sound like a mean old lady but i'm only 28.

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  11. It's not just the teenagers and 20-somethings, I'm 5 years older than you and I see people my age and older obsessed with social media to the point that it is unhealthy. I get so annoyed when some stops me from eating something so they can instagram it and then talk about how they hope that it gets pinned or whatever people do with it.

    During the summer months I host a campfire night about once a month at my father's cabin, hoping it will force them to put down their phones. It's in a canyon and there is no cell service, no tv, no landline, no internet, and only marginally ok radio reception. Even without reception they still break out their phones and sit scrolling through photos they've taken, playing games, or re-reading texts they received prior to getting up there. And when they do put the phones away they have no idea how to socialize. These aren't awkward teenagers, these are single adults in their 30s and 40s who know better. The level of social backwardness makes me depressed.

    Another aspect that bothers me greatly is that the same people who post selfies ad nauseum, get upset when I show up with my dslr camera to a party or event or hang out and they don't want me to take photos...because the photos I take aren't carefully constructed facades of what they want the world to see, they tend to be photos of what is actually there and heaven forbid there be any truth in the photographic record of their lives.

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    1. One time, I was watching a jazz trio at a cafe in New Orleans with my father and some family. The band took a break, and my father asked them if he could plug his phone into their outlet ON STAGE. They didn't start playing for five minutes while they helped him find an outlet that wasn't on stage. He needed it to be charged so he could continue playing God of War and updating facebook.

      It was pretty embarrassing... And reminded me why I don't like taking him places I actually like to frequent.

      I think you actively working to encourage and have authentic interactions with people is fantastic and necessary. Keep on fighting the good fight!

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  12. Dude...you still haven't liked all of my instagram photo's of my cats and the superhero toys on my desk I posted like...way over a month ago. Geez.

    Seriously though, good post.

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    1. Lee: I went through Instagram and liked every post you have. Also, I don't love this post cause I think Eli classified me as one of his crankier friends along with my dear friend Matt!

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    2. He did!? We are NOT cranky! We are REALISTS!

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  13. I am the manager of a healthcare office that mainly serves the older generation. It is not uncommon to be mid-sentence with one of our patients when their phone rings. Without skipping a beat they answer and begin talking. There is no "do you mind if I take this call?" or "I'm sorry, this may be an emergency." nothing. And these people are polite and kind in every other way. There is no cell phone etiquette. It's all very strange. We as parents need to teach our children how to be considerate in our use of technology. How else will they learn? My daughter has a friend who often posts selfies for the "you are so perfect" comments that follow. We've had a discussion about WHY she does this and how it makes her feel and why she needs that validation. We've had conversations about who's opinion should matter, and who's shouldn't. Where our sense of self worth should come from. Maybe this should be a conversation that is ongoing and repeated often. Thanks for having it with us, Eli. ;)

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    1. We all have a Pavlovian response to cell phones, it's ridiculous, we need to re-train ourselves to have manners. I make a point of putting my phone on silent or vibrate when I'm out on dates or with friends or at social gatherings or professional settings, and not checking it until I'm alone again. Because I want the people I'm with to know that I value them more than screen time and "likes" and emoticons and pointless texts. I'm not a doctor or police officer...there is no reason for me to jump every time my phone rings. Common courtesy, not so common.

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    2. I think the older generation, my parents included, have never been taught cell phone etiquette. They think if someone calls them it is important and similar to someone else standing there talking. I walk away from my Dad the moment he picks up his cell phone in the middle of our conversation and I go somewhere else. I keep thinking that he will "get" it sometime but hasn't happened yet.

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    3. I'm of the older generation, and you know what? There isn't one damn thing that cannot wait. Seriously, what do you think we all did before cell phones? We got news - good, bad, indifferent - from the home phone or by letter or a knock on the door. And, we survived.

      Sweet jeebus, people who interrupt the life in front of them to answer a cell phone are just rude.

      By the way, I have a rule...since most of my real life friends are half my age when we go somewhere I either gather up all the phones and stuff them in my purse until they're gone or put them in a pile in the middle of the table (if we're at a restaurant) and if anyone touches the phone, dinner/lunch/drinks are on them. It's very effective, and by now most of them know just to leave the phone in the car when they're with me.

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    4. Here here! Everyone is so impatient these days they can't wait to speak to someone so they pick up their damn cell phones. I literally hate cell phones...all of them. They should be for emergency use only. Or if you're at the grocery store picking stuff up and you need to call your wife to ask her which brand of bread we normally buy...but that is IT! Seriously though...I work with technology and I almost wish most of it was gone.

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  14. Amen to all of this! My husband and I also feel like old people even though we're only 28 and 29. People today (not just teens, sadly) and their phones, children running amok in sacrament meeting, cheering at inappropriate times or concert venues (Tim McGraw concert, sure; symphony orchestra concert, NO), the list goes on. While your post is a generalization and therefore there are plenty of teenagers who. are exceptions, I do feel like this is becoming the norm more and more, and it does make me worry for the future.

    On an unrelated note, you were in my dream for two minutes last night. I was walking in the hallway in some hospital or doctor's office building with my new baby. He'll be 3 weeks old tomorrow in real life, but he was pretty brand new in the dream. Anyway, in my dream you were apparently a doctor instead of a lawyer. You were walking the opposite way down the hall, but somehow you knew that I read your blog, so you stopped to congratulate me and ask me about my baby. It was cool but weird because I don't actually know you, and I get shy and awkward around people I don't know. But, thanks, I guess, for taking time out of your busy doctor schedule for me and my baby.

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  15. *You* worry?!? Lemme tell you! My oldest kids are just getting into the Jr. High/Highschool age group, and watching all their friends get into the whole smart phone/social media stuff. (PS-- who ARE these parents giving their 4th and 5th graders new iPhones, so that everyone else's kids can come home and start demanding one?!?) I feel very strongly that as a parent, it is my job to teach them HOW to navigate all this technology, not just shield them from it until the day they turn 18; so, I agree that a LOT of it has to do with finding moments to teach, and setting boundaries. I think there really are more "exceptions" than examples of the things you pointed out, and heaven knows teenagers aren't the only offenders, but I agree that picking up these habits so young cannot possibly be good for them.

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  16. I wrote a fabulous crafted comment to post and then Google ate it. So I'm just going to say well done. I agree wholeheartedly. I also think that this phenomenon plays a role in the crazy mass shootings. Any attention is desirable. They want their name in the headlines. #noidontwanttodebateguncontrol

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    1. I commute to work every morning on a train. And the train line has had a really big problem with people (mostly highschoolers) committing suicide, mostly during rush hour (sad I know :/). And they noticed if they put the persons name in the paper, suicide rates went up. I know that's kind of a tangent, but in a generation that's obsessed with fame and popularity, that is a way for a depressed teen to feel like they will be noticed.

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  17. Oh my goodness, A-freaking-MEN!

    My boyfriend's 12-year-old son has a phone and he's on it constantly. He doesn't post tons of selfies, but he's on Instagram and probably Snapchat and it's really a problem. He spends so much time not engaging with the family because he's just on his phone all the time. Chris has started taking the phone away when the kids are at his house, but it's still a problem.

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  18. I'm old...I'll sit back and wait as you let it sink in.

    I 'friended' people by meeting them, getting to know them, hanging out, blah, blah.

    In doing so, I could learn their habits, idiosyncracies, like and dislikes...the 'real' person.

    On the Interwebs, we can be anything/one we pretend to be. I could be a 75-yr old yak herder from Outer Mongolia, instead of you know, a 72-yr old yak herder from Inner Mongolia.

    So, to pin ones hopes, dreams, emotions, and so on on whether or not my hashtag goes viral or someone in the glowy box 'likes' my selfies is very, very dangerous.

    It sets the kiddies up for so much disappointment. And it doesn't teach them squat about relating to humans on a human level.

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    1. I agree! That's the hardest part for me about social media, people never post what is actually happening in their lives (I'm no exception). They post pictures of how adorable their baby is, but never mention they are fighting post-partum blues. Or they post fancy vacation pictures but don't post any of the dozens of nights they stay at home netflixing. It leads to this warped sense of success/happiness that makes me feel competitive or jealous. But once I actually hang out with them and talk to them, I realize they are struggling with the same things as me and their life isn't perfect. That's the main reason I try to keep my social media friends down to people I talk to in person regularly. That way I know what is happening in their real lives and can be happy for them instead of having negative emotions.

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    2. "75-yr old yak herder from Outer Mongolia, instead of you know, a 72-yr old yak herder from Inner Mongolia."
      I am laughing so hard right now. Thanks for making my day :)

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  19. Did you already see the video of girls at a baseball game taking selfies? It is a perfect illustration of what you are describing in this post! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPYJDMwKmbg

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    1. That was both hilarious and sad all at the same time.

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  20. i can't say that i am immune to social media- i find myself mindlessly checking facebook more times a day than i'm proud of. but the moment i saw my cousin who is 16 years old (10 years younger than me) check her phone obsessively to see how many likes her new photo had gotten, i was certainly concerned. she believed if you hadn't gotten the same number of likes as the number of minutes the picture had been posted, the picture wasn't good enough. what kind of sick logic is this? i'm not sure how to help the generation below me, but i'm definitely willing to try. thanks for this post, Eli.

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  21. Scroll down to the bottom:http://www.pluggedin.com/culture-clips

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